Grenade thrower



f. JMJ/"f" Aug 14 1.945' c. BUSTAMANTE .2,382,540

GRENADE THRowER Filed Nov. 1s, 1942 I 4 sheets-sheet 1 Aug. 14, 1945. c. BUSTAMANTE- A 2,382,540

GRENADE THRowE'R Filed Nov. 1 3, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 HIS ATTORNEYS '14, 1945.l v c. BUSTAMANTE 2,382,540

GRENADE THROWER Filed Nov 13, 1942 -4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Aug. 14, 1945. c. BUSTAMANTE I 2,382,540

GRENADE THRowER Filed Nov. 13, 1942 v4 Sheets-Sheet 4 4? lf mil/w :m HIS ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 14, 1945 GRENADE THROWER Cesar Bustamante,= New York, N Y., assignorlt'o EliGf, New York, N. Y.

Application" Nev-enter 1s, 1942, serial No. 465,426

9 Claims.. tol. 124-6) This invention relates' to grenade'- thl`fcw'Ivl=l"s-,l

and more' particularly to' a centrifugal forV throwing grenades or projectilesA of frangi-blem a terialpcontaining inflammable or' explosive matee rial; and' has for its` object the' provision ofy anl aperture in a. cross p'la'tel 8 secured at improved grenade throwing apparatus. The de'-4 site ends to the lower edges of frame members" vice may also be used' for .throwing or firing I and 2. Pivot pin 'I has 25 head' Which'en'gages solidprojectiles of metal or metalpiojfectilescone the upper surface f plate 8-f to retain' the'isuper- 1 taining explosives. structurev of the'gun on itsbase'. Thisr pivotprof' The pre-sent invention aims to provide a een!y 1li? vides a means' by which the gun may betraiined trifugal mechanism which inintrt'sv vel'oc'zityY and on the target, as* will bel described' later. u momentum to the projectile without causing the Frame members'l I, 2' and" 3` are tied together projectile to rotate onl an axisatright'-angles'4 to' at' theircorne'rs' by long bolts 9' and suitable the direction of itstravel, therebyv improving the'f spacers IU so as toifforii a' rigid structure.' *Frame* accuracy of such guns inhi-t'tingf the target;| 175 members 21' and' 3' are'- provided', somewhat abcnve An object of the invention* alsd is; tpi-'ovide' afi centrifugal gun which is sof` constrllx'st'e'dA that? it can be aimed with precision.

A further object of' the invention is; to prvide a centrifugal gun which is" of` rugged' con" struction and which can be' manufactured at; moderate cost.

yThe invention will be understood' from a' conlsideration of the following description take connection) with the accompanying" drawings: which illustrate `one embodiment of the inverntion. It is to be understoodghowever, that these' `drawings are merely illustrative ofv the invention and that the invention is not limited' tothe" construction illustrated but that itsI scope isset forth in the appended claims:

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a View of the apparatus in sideelevation looking from the left of Fig. 2';

Fig. Y2 is a View infront elevation; or looking from the right of Fig. 1', withy certain parts broken away;

3 is a vertical section taken on line 33' of lig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional-.view to illustrate' the del tails ofI the loading mechanism and' is i'faker'i`l on plane 4-4' of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a sectionalr detail of the' magazine Referring now to the accompanying drawings,v

the centrifugal gurlA comprises vin general threesimilar rectangular fra-ine Il lemloers-- I',l 2A and 3- arrang'e'dfin vertical parallelspacedrelation to one another and resting on two transverse supports" 4 shownl 'as chaniri'el members. The slipport's" IIv are provided with wheeled casters 5 which r'oll u'po. a'. base member 6, rA pivot pinE 1 bis. fixed to base member 6' and passes through an their centers as,l viewed in'fFil'g'. 3, with chax'ln-lls'1 in'whch the main shaft -I IA is" mounted for rota` tion. Snert' II at it'sllett handend; es viewed in Fig. 2, has secured to it a rotor- I`2,f and also nxed to this; shaft between frames 2 and 3y is a driving gear Isl y f Gear I-3- is drijven by efy pinion-It' which is fixed to a jack'l shaft' I-''journa'le'd bei tween frame' members- 2 and 3" immediately be"-A low shaft ITI. Jaeksnaft I'5ai1d-slierltQI-Iae continuously drivenflot I n'eansof ai hain'jiwhi'chf pal's'sesl over suitable" sprolcketsl Inlount'ed-` respectivelyl env shaftY Italia a' tnirdsriaft I 1 -wliielf isl journaled inall'threeframe-meni ers I', 2 and" y is leeated te the left of frame niemle'erfl'Y as'viewedi in Fig. 2; This motor will ordinarily 'be'v an'i'nternal` combustion engine inV o'rdei'. that the unitI may be mobile, although anyaippropriatesourcei ofpower may bev used.- v y Briefly describing the operation.Y of thegrenade thr'ower orl gun ofn -the presentuinfvention, the. projectiles 2 are' fed successivelymintgthe ap-4 params freni' ,the left,V asfvlevjea in rigs- .zfaiit 4', inline withtllaids' of Qs'li't't'ftIl'I ,'Iflr'ley are received one" at a time at' the' loaillng'fpsi-y tien zur. l(Fig. ci at the center eff ftt of' rotor fr* irr asuitatleihelder nieuntejl aJ carnelA whien' metesl trie#` projectile" f mitin j pesi; tion tera'y position wlfiieti is ee'eentn'e1 tti-'tf1 .of thefshett- II such asi-,lie petit-ieri iiidea-tedfbyY reference' numeralfr 2DR' in' Figi. '71 which shows the projectile undergoing relea'se'f-frm the giln.- At this pointy of release a predetermined* Veloityi and momentum' have been impartedi to' the*` pro-'-A jectile andl the projectile connnen'cesfgits night;

. I the first part ofwhich is substantially'.tangentialA to a circle whose center is the axis of shaft II.

The carrier is a rotary device and moves in the direction of the arrows slowly relative to the angular movement of rotor I2, the rotor making a plurality of revolutions during the movement of the projectile from the position of Fig. 6 to that of Fig. 7.

In the embodiment illustrated a pair of spaced arms 2| comprise the carrier, these arms being fixed midway between their ends to a shaft 22 which is mounted for rotation in a bearing member 23 mounted on the rotor I2 approximately midway between the center of the rotor shaft II and release position 2DR (Fig. '1). Rotor I2 comprises a plate of suitable thickness to support the bearing 23 for carrier shaft 22 and is provided with a widened portion 24 to serve as a counterbalance.

Rotor I2 also has diametrically opposite counterweight portion 24 a forked extension at the tips of which are two supporting posts 25 which serve to in part support a semicircular guard segment 26, the purpose of which will appear presently. This segment is also supported on rotor I2 by two additional posts 21. Guard segment 26 isrheld by these posts in fixed spaced 4parallel relation to the left hand surface of rotor I2, as viewed in Fig. 2.

Carrier arms 2I are mounted on a hub 28 which is pinned or keyed to shaft 22, as indicated in Fig. 2, and which serves to hold the arms spaced apart. These arms 2I are forked at one end to receive the projectile holder 29 which comprises a curved U-shaped plate having one leg of the U longer than the other and which is seated in the recesses which form the forks. Projectile holder plate 29 is supported by both of the arms 2l as shown in Fig. 2 and its length is substantially that of the cylindrical projectiles 20.

The outwardly open end of holder 29 is closed by means of a curved releasable cover 30 (Fig. 3) which is carried between two pivoted curved and somewhat L-shaped arms 3I which are pivoted at 32, one on the outside of each of carrier arms 2I. In order to hold cover 30 in closed position during the movement of the projectile from the loading position 20L of Fig. 6 to the release position 20B. of Fig. '1, a roller 33 is mounted on a pin 34 which extends between the free ends of arms 3I. Roller 33 engages Ithe inner surface of semi-circular guard segment 26 during thismovement, carrier 2l rotating in the same direction as rotor I2, as shown by the arrows'.

Somewhat before the carrier has moved the prom jectile to the release position 2DR, roller 33 leaves the end of segment 26 and engages the inner surface of a pair of arcuate releasing bars 35, to be described, which control the instant of release of the projectile. As roller 33 passes the corners 36 (Fig. '1) release takes place, cover 30 and its supporting arms ily outwardly under the action of central or centrifugal force, and thereby releasing the projectile.

In order to cushion the outward movement of cover 30 and its supporting arrns, a cross bar 31 is provided between arms 3I which is apertured to receive a pair of bolts 38. These bolts are threaded at their inner ends into a cross member which also act as spacers between the two arms comprising the carrier.

The arcuate release bars 35 are so arranged that they can be rocked in the vertical direction about the axis of rotor shaft I I, thereby causing the releasing point 36 to be advanced or retarded. 1t will be understood that when this releasing point is advanced, that is, moved to the left in Fig. '7, the release of the projectile will take place earlier. which will result in elevating the trajectory of the projectile. On the other hand if releasing point 36 is retarded, that is, moved to the right in Fig. 1, the opposite result will take place and the ight of the projectile will be lowered.

In order to mount the releasing bars 35 for such adjustment, they are mounted near their opposite ends on two long bolts 42 which are supported at their opposite ends on two bell crank shaped members 43. Bolts 42 are secured to the tips of the arms of these two members 43 and the centers of these members are pivoted for the rocking movement described above, one on rotor shaft II adjacent frame member 2 and the other on the end of a hollow sleeve 44 which projects to the right of frame member I in axial alinement with shaft I I. The two releasing bars 35 are maintained in properly spaced relation to one another and the two bell crank shaped members 43 are mounted in properly spaced relation by the use of spacing sleeves 45 threaded upon the long bolts .42, as will be understood from Fig. 2.

One of the releasing bars 45 is provided with a handle 46 by means of which the apparatus can be turned on its main supporting pivot 1 so as to train the gun on the target. It will be understood also that by moving this handle in a vertical plane the releasing bars will be rocked so as to advance or retard the releasing point 36 and in this way elevate or depress the trajectory in accordance with the range. Sights (not shown) may be suitably mounted to facilitate in the aiming of the gun.

It is stated above that rotor I2 makes a predetermined number of revolutions between the time carrier 2l receives the projectile at position 20L 5 (Fig. 6) and the time it transfers the projectile to the release position 2DR; also a substantially equal number of revolutions of rotor I2 occur while the carrier is returning to the loading position. This movement of carrier 2| with respect to rotor I 2 is produced by the following mechanism.

Arranged to rotate freely on rotor shaft II to the left of frame member 2 (Fig. 2) there is a gear 41 which is driven by a pinion 48 keyed to shaft I5. The gear ratio of gear 41 and pinion 48 is slightly higher than the gear ratio between gear I3 and pinion I4 by whichshaft I I is driven so that gear 41 rotates slightly slower than gear I3 and shaft I I but in the same direction. In other words, gear 41 rotates slowly with respect to shaft I I and in the same direction.

This slow rotation of gear 41 in vthe same direction as shaft I I is communicated to shaft 22 on which carrier 2I is iixed by means of gearing indicated generally by numeral 49 and in the embodiment illustrated the arrangement is such that carrier 2| makes one complete revolution for each 20 revolutions of rotor I 2; that is to say, during the movement of the carrier in transferring a projectile from loading position 20L (Fig. 6) to discharge position 2DR (Fig. '7) the rotor makes approximately 10 revolutions, although it may be somewhat more or less, depending upon the elevation at which the gun is aimed, that is to say, the angular position of release point 36. Also during jectiles to a position eccentric to the .center of rotation of the rotorr said mechanism including a holder adapted to grip individual projectiles and hold them fixed therein during saidtransfer and openable to release a projectile therein, and adjustable means for effecting the opening ofsaid holderk at a predetermined angularA position of the rotor.

5. A centrifugal guncomprising a continuously rotating rotor, means for feeding projectiles successively to the center of rotation of said rotor in timed relation to the rotation thereof, mechanism for transferring the successive projectiles to a position eccentric to the center of rotation of the rotor, said mechanism including a holder. adapted to grip individual projectiles and hold them `ijlxed during said transfer, and adjustable means for releasing the projectiles at a predeterminedangular position of the rotor, ,the rotor making substantially half as many revolutions during said transfer as between thefeeding of successive projectiles.

6. A centrifugal gun comprising a continuously rotating rotor, a carrier adapted to transfer a projectile from the center of rotation of the rotor to a discharge position eccentric thereto, said carrier having a projectile holder opening outwardly,` a cover member for retaining a projectile insaid holder, said cover member being movable under` the action of centrifugal force to a position to release a projectile for discharge from said holder, means carried by the rotor vfor holding the cover closed While the projectile holder moves outwardly to a position adjacent its discharge position, stationary means engageable by the cover just prior to the projectile holders reaching its discharge position, said stationarycmeans holding `the cover closeduntil the cover moves from engagement ftherewith, said stationary means being. adjustable with respect to the rotor to facilitate the aiming. of the gun byshifting the discharge position.: i I i 'I 7.A A` centrifugal gun comprising a continuously rotating rotor, a projectile carrier rotatably and eccentrically mounted on the rotor andadapted jectile holders reaching its discharge position. said stationary arcuate member holding the coverclosed until the cover moves from engagement therewith, said stationary arcuate member being angularly adjustable with respect to the rotor to retard or advance the release of the projectile. c

8. A centrifugal gun comprising a continuously rotating rotor, a projectile carrier rotatably and eccentrically mounted on the rotor and adapted to transfer a projectile from the center of rotation of the rotor to a `path of rotation of predetermined diameter, said carrier having a projectile holder opening outwardly, a cover member for retaining a projectile in said holder, said cover member being movable under the action of centrifugal force to a position to release a projectile for discharge from said holder, means carried by the rotor for holding the cover closed until the projectile holder moves outwardly to a position adjacent its discharge position, a member having a stationary arcuate surface adjacent said path of rotation, said arcuate surface being engageable by the cover just prior to the projectile holders reaching its discharge position, Said member holding the cover closed until the cover moves from engagement with said arcuate surlface, `said stationary member being angularly to transfer a projectile from thecenter of rotation of the rotorto a discharge position eccentric thereto, saidcarrier .having aprojectile holder opening outwardly, a cover member for retaining a'projectile in said holder, said cover member being movable under the action of centrifugal force to a position to release a projectilefor. dis.- chargei from said holder, an arcuate member mountedon the rotor in position to be engaged byy said cover to hold the same closed while the projectile holder moves outwardly from the center of rotation of the 'rotor and approaches the discharge position,` a stationary arcuate member engageable by the cover just prior to vthe proadjustable with respect to the rotor to retard or advance the release of the projectile.

9. A centrifugal gun comprising a continuously rotatingrotor, a projectile carrier rotatably and eccentrically mounted on the rotor and adapted to transfer a projectile from the center of rotation of the rotor to a path of rotation of predetermined diameter, said carrier having a projectile holder opening outwardly, a cover member for retaining a projectile in said holder, said cover member being movable under the action of centrifugal force to a position to release a projectile for discharge from said holder, an arcuate member'xed to the rotor and engageable by the cover to hold the same closed while the projectile holder moves outwardly from the center of rotation of the rotor to a position adjacent its discharge position, a member having a stationary arcuate surface adjacent said path of rotation engageable by the cover just prior to the projectile holders reaching its discharge position, said member holding the cover closed until the cover moves from engagement therewith, the movement of the cover member along the arcuate member fixed to the rotor bringing the cover member into engagement with said stationary member, said stationary member being angularly adjustable with respect to the rotor to retard or advance the release of the projectile.

CESAR BUSTAMANTE. 

